I waited for the job candidate to come onto Zoom. It was two minutes past the hour. Late in zoom time. (Strike one.) I was hiring for an entry level sales position; someone who could work with our team to speak to customers directly about our programs. I begin interviews with two questions: why are you interested in this job and what can you bring to my department? My candidate, a recent college graduate, answered the first question by saying he needed a job to move out of his parents’ house. (Strike two). The second question stumped him and he faltered. “Well,” I prompted, “what skills do you have that would allow you to do the job?”
“Skills?” he said, “I don’t really have skills. But I do have a degree.” (And strike three. You’re out.)

This sad admission points to the heart of a serious problem. While well over 40% of college students prioritize developing career capabilities matching labor demands in their courses, few students receive it. And most college career centers fall short of helping students learn what they need to know about how to transition to the work world.

This vocational shift isn’t just pandemic accelerated. It’s baked into Gen Z values for lifelong learning aligned to advancement. Students expect education’s return on investment to include employability. But traditional colleges and universities, for myriad reasons, can’t evolve fast enough to provide it. And as our world becomes more technologically sophisticated the skills gap widens. The result? Lucrative jobs go unfilled for lack of capable applicants, while overqualified graduates fight for scraps—scarcely a fulfilling outcome.

In part this failure can be attributed to a historic disjuncture between the academy and industry in which academic knowledge was elevated over commercial knowledge. In this separation people went to college to acquire knowledge for knowledge’s sake.  It had no commercial value. It did not have to be applied or practical. This allowed academic expertise to generally end with a subject matter and not make the leap from subject matter to current work force needs or solutions to world problems.

But this distinction was always fallacious. People went to college to get ahead, get a better job, have a better life. College is an investment of time and money, and students not only expect a return on their investment- they deserve it. We deserve it.

This is why competency based, career focused certificates, like those at YU Global, are so important. Through focused learning in high-growth fields like AI, data analytics, digital marketing, HR or project management, students earn an alternate transcript showcasing operational readiness. We also offer a free course on workforce development skills in those areas employers look for most—good communication, problem solving, teamwork and critical thinking as well as professional comportment and how to interview successfully.

Stackable certificates from business communication to cybersecurity offer learners a chance to quickly acquire work force skills on top of a great education that can make an applicant stand out. And no certificate graduate of YU Global will ever say, “Skills?”

Today’s college students anticipate lifelong reskilling, that unlocks career confidence and mobility. Yet many institutions struggle to make competency-based job preparation a reality in a packed curriculum.

We invite university leaders to collaborate with YU Global and add value to your degrees. Our industry-aligned certificates and professional development courses bridge the skills gaps. We're ready to partner with you by expanding your offerings, whether for-credit or co-curricular. Students will appreciate the commitment. Employers will thank you.

We invite driven students seeking an employment edge not to wait for institutional change. Enroll directly in our affordable programs building a differentiated transcript that shows workplace capability. Join our learners who shine in interviews and land the jobs they want.

The future of education must fuse academic and applied knowledge without either/or tradeoffs. We can make this happen by working together. We are YU Global. And we are here for you.